Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

एकदा क्रीडता तेन हारितं द्यूतमद्भुतम् । कितवैर्मर्द्यमानो हि तदा नोवाच किञ्चन

Transliteration

ekadā krīḍatā tena hāritaṃ dyūtamadbhutam | kitavairmardyamāno hi tadā novāca kiñcana

Translation

Un jour, tandis qu’il jouait, il perdit cruellement dans un prodigieux jeu de dés. Bien que les joueurs le malmenassent, il ne dit rien alors.

Word by Word

• ekadā: once
• ekadā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ekadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — Indeclinable adverb (once)

• krīḍatā: while (he was) playing
• krīḍatā: Karana (Instrument/Agent circumstance/करण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: krīḍ (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — Present participle, Instrumental singular (while playing/by one playing)

• tena: by him
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम — Instrumental singular (by him)

• hāritam: lost
• hāritam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: hṛ (धातु)
• Form: हृ-धातोः णिच् (हारयति) कर्मणि क्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘caused to be taken away/lost’ (lost)

• dyūtam: gambling (stake/game)
• dyūtam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dyūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular (gambling game/stake)

• adbhutam: wonderful, strange
• adbhutam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adbhuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण — Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular (wonderful/strange)

• kitavaiḥ: by gamblers
• kitavaiḥ: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kitava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — Masculine, Instrumental plural (by gamblers)

• mardyamānaḥ: being beaten
• mardyamānaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: mṛd (धातु)
• Form: मृद्-धातोः कर्मणि शानच् (वर्तमानकृदन्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Present passive participle (being beaten/pressed)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निश्चय/हेतौ) — Particle (indeed)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — Indeclinable adverb (then)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध) — Negation particle (not)

• uvāca: spoke
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Perfect, 3rd singular (said/spoke)

• kiñcana: anything
• kiñcana: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kiñcana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; अनिश्चित/निषेधसह ‘anything’ — Neuter, Accusative, Singular (anything)

Speaker

Lomaśa (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa (unnamed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tense gambling den: dice scattered, the sinner bruised and cornered by cheats; his mouth closed in stunned silence, foreshadowing a future redirection of life.

Characters & Entities

• Lomaśa
• Kitava (gamblers/cheats)
• Kedāra (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gambling leads to loss and humiliation; Purāṇic narratives use such crises as turning points toward dharma and sacred refuge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kedārakhaṇḍa frame points toward Kedāra and its Śiva-temple as the forthcoming refuge.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is narrative, describing the immediate fallout of gambling.